Birth of the Grand Army WIP
by tyleredwardsga
Summary: This is a non-canon, AU story focusing around a group of children that grow up to be the perfect soldiers and their adventures with the Jedi who teach and train them. Please favorite and review so I can see how you guys are liking it. Encouragement is really helpful lol.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Anakin sat at the controls of his master's Jedi shuttle, his eyes closed with his hands funneling the Force to keep the parts of his disassembled lightsaber suspended. Using the Force, he slowly moved his right hand down and around, spinning several of the pieces before slowly lining them up. Opening his right eye, he glanced over at Master Plo Koon in the co-pilot seat, where he sat observing the padawan until he felt it was the time to add the lightsaber crystal into the mix. Pulling it from his pocket, he held it on his palm before pushing it up into the air and then directing it into the area between Anakin's hands. Feeling a smile creeping across his lips, Anakin closed his eyes tight and felt the crystal glowing brightly in the Force. Directing his attention to it, he spun it once with the Force before sliding it into the emitter and closing the lightsaber's casing around it. Opening his eyes, he looked at the suspended lightsaber with a smile and went to grab it, but just as his fingers fell within a hairsbreadth of it, the weapon shot a few inches above his hand before floating into Plo Koon's extended hand.

Wrapping his fingers around the lightsaber with a chuckle, Plo Koon stood and held the hilt before him in an appraising manner, looking it over several times before looking to Anakin and speaking, "Padawan, I stress the importance of this for all of our safety: are you certain you put the crystal in just as you were instructed?" Seeing Anakin's shoulders drop before he nodded slowly, Plo Koon chuckled and knelt down before patting Anakin on the shoulder with his free hand as he spoke, "I know you did, I just wanted to make sure you knew the gravity of this moment. Now, why don't you light it up before showing it to your master?"

Holding his hand out with the lightsaber floating above his palm, Plo Koon watched as Anakin reached out for it, hesitating a mere second before wrapping his fingers around it slowly. Exhaling slowly, Anakin pulled it in tight and wrapped his fingers around the hilt beneath his other hand. Pointing the emitter up past his face, he slid his thumb over the button, taking a slow breath before pressing the button and igniting the bright blue laser. Smiling brightly, he looked to Plo Koon with the blue light shining on his face before speaking, "Look Master Plo, I did it! I really did it this time."

Chuckling softly and nodding slowly, Plo Koon dropped his right hand to his left hip, pulling his own lightsaber off his belt before igniting it as well, shining his own blue blade before the boy's excited face. Moving it slowly, he placed his blade against Anakin's causing a flashing white spark from the point of contact before speaking, "Of course you did Anakin, Master Kenobi is a fine teacher. Take your finished saber and show him." Pulling his lightsaber back from the boy's, he turned it off and slipped it back onto his belt, moving slowly towards his seat to prepare for the ship's drop from hyperspace. Turning his new lightsaber off, Anakin smiled brightly and took a step forward before the ship made a premature exit from hyperspace, slamming the two Jedi to the floor of the cab. Sliding forwards towards his chair as the ship pitched forward in a steep dive, Anakin rose with a bewildered expression as a planet grew rapidly larger and larger in their windshield. Pulling himself into his chair, he pulled the throttle back and engaged the reverse thruster, trying to slow the shuttle's plummet. Pulling back on the joystick in a desperate yet vain attempt to bring the nose of the ship up, he looked with wide eyes to Plo Koon, who was pulling himself up by the back of his chair with a hand on his chest.

Feeling a sharp pain in his side every time he breathed in, Plo Koon dug his fingers into the headrest of the seat and said, "Anakin, switch the flight controls to me and get in contact with the Jedi Temple. Once you raise them, call for a rescue and get your master out of his quarters." Flipping a switch by the throttle as Plo Koon got into his seat, Anakin, took his hands off the controls as they disengaged before moving his left hand to the side to the holocom placed on the top of the dashboard.

Activating it with a press of a button, he turned to the blue astromech droid that was now pushing itself off the ground, "R2, I need you to patch me through to the Jedi Temple. We have to get in contact with them, little guy." Turning back to the holocom, he glanced over at where Master Plo was moving quickly to do all he could to pull out of the dive before the holocom came to life with a form materializing.

"What is it, padawan Skywalker? Your astromech stressed a need for urgency," came the voice of Master Windu, his form coming together with his hands clasped behind his back.

Bowing his head quickly, Anakin decided the situation did not allow the customary gestures of greeting and instead spoke quickly, "Master Windu, we need help. We were in hyperspace and then we suddenly fell out and into a steep dive. We cannot pull out, it is like the planet is pulling us in." After saying that, Master Windu's response came back garbled as the holocom began to flicker off and on, a pattern that was soon adopted by all of the other systems of the ship. Feeling the engines kick off, Anakin looked to Plo Koon with terrified eyes before speaking softly, "Master?"

Pulling his hands back from the controls, Plo Koon turned to Anakin quickly before picking up the boy's lightsaber where it had fallen during the ship's lurch. Holding it in his fist in front of the boy's chest, he spoke slowly with a forced calm in his voice, "Do not be afraid child, this is not the first time you have been in a crashing ship. It is just like the simulators in the Temple. Go and get your master, then strap yourself into one of the chairs."

Taking his lightsaber from Plo Koon's now open hand, Anakin nodded with a sense of bolstered confidence before standing and placing his lightsaber onto his belt like he had been taught. Making sure not to show fear by running, he walked to the door of Obi-Wan's quarters and knocked quickly, stepping back then with his hands behind his back. Hearing his master's order to come in, he pressed his hand against the control panel and slid the door open, stepping in and seeing Master Kenobi levitating with his hands on his knees and his legs folded beneath him. Closing the door behind him, he chewed on his lip and went to speak when suddenly Obi-Wan opened his eyes and spoke as he dropped to his feet, "I trust that by your entrance into my room, the situation at the front of the ship is not under control. Which then means that you have managed to crash yet another ship, correct?"

Tucking his chin to his chest, Anakin moved his right heel around with his toes against the floor before looking up in an apologetic manner and speaking, "I'm sorry Master, I tried to bring it back in control. But, Master Plo is at the controls and we haven't crashed yet. Besides, it wasn't my fault."

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan spread his hands to the side before asking, "And how was it not your fault, my very young padawan? Were you not the one at the controls? Were you not the one who set the coordinates for the hyperspace jump? Were you not the one who said, if my memory serves me well, 'Don't worry master, I won't crash the ship. I'm the best pilot in my class, you have nothing to worry about'?"

Looking down again, Anakin blew out a breath of air slowly before pleading, "But Master, it really wasn't my fault. The ship fell out of hyperspace long before we reached our destination at Nar Shaddaa. And then, after falling out of hyperspace, the ship just fell forward and into a dive towards the planet. Our systems are failing too. That can't be all my fault."

Bringing his right hand up to his beard as he supported his elbow with his left hand, Obi-Wan nodded slowly before speaking, "Blast, I guess you have a point. But, that does not change the fact that you were in control of the ship when it went down, adding yet another fine shuttle to the collection of ships you have wrecked. Before the systems shut down, were you at least able to contact the Jedi Temple and call for support?"

Shaking his head, Anakin bit his lip before muttering, "I've only crashed three ships Master, this one doesn't count. And yes, I was able to contact the Temple and call for help." Nodding slowly, Obi-Wan went to step past Anakin as he spoke, "Well, we shall wait for them to come get us then." Hearing that, Anakin looked down and kicked his foot out before speaking softly, "Well, I made contact, but it kind of got shut down by the ship before I could really call for help." Blowing out a breath with a few choice words muttered beneath it, Obi-Wan turned on his heel to face his sulking padawan before kneeling down and speaking, "Anakin, were you able to relay our coordinates to them?" Seeing Anakin shake his head, Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder reassuringly before standing up and ushering him towards the front of the ship. Raising his hand as he got to the front, he looked down and smiled at Anakin before speaking, "Master Plo, my padawan would like to apologize for getting us into this mess and would like to try his very best to get us out if he can."

Hearing his master, Anakin looked to Plo Koon and bowed deeply at the waist before speaking, "I'm sorry for getting us into this mess Master Plo. I'm going to do all I can to make sure your ship receives the least damage so we can leave." Getting into the pilot chair quickly, he flipped the switch giving him control again and took hold of the joystick before moving his right hand to a switch to the side. Flipping it and three more beside it, he raised all of the landing flaps, producing a large amount of drag on the ship and causing it to slow down substantially. Seeing the clouds they had been going through split and the ground coming up at an alarming speed, he grabbed hold of the ignition switch and pumped it several times to no avail. Turning to the masters behind him with fear in his eyes, Obi-Wan pulled him with the Force and set him in one of the seats behind the pilot's seat. Letting Anakin strap himself in, he jumped into the seat beside Plo Koon's and strapped himself in before looking over to his friend, "I hope you can bring us in softly, I'm going to look on the database to see where we are…landing." Listening to Plo Koon and R2 working to turn the engines on and power up the frontal shields, Obi-Wan pulled a datapad up from a compartment on the dash and typed their coordinates in quickly. Waiting for the page to load, he looked at it in confusion before muttering, "Master Plo, have you ever heard of the planet Unghr in the Honoghr system?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Master Plo Koon switched the flight controls over to Obi-Wan before taking the datapad from his hand, looking it over for a few seconds before saying all that was included in the entry, "Well, just as you said Master Kenobi, we are heading towards Unghr, a planet in the Honoghr system. The native species is unknown, as well as the climate and hours in one rotation." Setting the datapad down, Plo Koon glanced out through the windshield at the rapidly approaching ground. Turning around in his seat, he checked to make sure Anakin was belted into his seat before turning to R2D2 and speaking, "Make sure to magnetize your feet, R2. We're going to need you in one piece to get us back off this rock." Listening to the astromech's affirming whistles, he turned his attention back to the planet's surface and began focusing on what details he could pick out from the vast desert that was greeting them with open arms.

Seeing a patch of brush gathered together, he turned to Obi-Wan and spoke quickly, "Try to guide the ship there, I will do what I can with the Force." Seeing Obi-Wan nod with a grimace as he pulled back with all the force he could muster, relying on the manual mechanics of the ship now that the power was no longer there to assist his turning. Turning his attention back to what seemed to be an oasis, he reached out with the Force and dug himself into the sand where he planned to land the ship. Focusing on landing the ship there, he stretched out his hands towards it with his palms down before clenching his fists and turning them palm up. Drawing his hands in to his chest, he felt the ship begin to turn with more purpose as he combined his ministrations with those of Obi-Wan. Releasing his hold on the sand, he turned to Obi-Wan and nodded before leaning down against the dashboard and preparing for the impact.

Keeping his hands on the controls for a few more seconds to insure the ship followed the path it did, Obi-Wan copied Plo Koon's position and glanced back under his elbow. Seeing Anakin sitting in his chair curled up in a ball, he felt a moment of panic before seeing the strap across the boy's waist. Breathing out slowly and easier, Obi-Wan tucked his head under his forearms and dove into a light meditation to calm his heart during the intentional crash to avoid any injuries caused by reflexive stiffening of his joints and muscles. Feeling a moment of weightlessness before crashing down with a thunderous explosion like that of a bomb, the last thing Obi-Wan remembered hearing was R2D2 whirring loudly and the sound of tearing metal. The ship had glided towards the destination Plo Koon and Obi-Wan had directed it towards, but there had been just a little too much air under the nose of the ship, sparing the lives of the Jedi but in the process reducing the thrusters to smoking clumps of metal.

Feeling a searing pain rip through his side as he breathed in, Obi-Wan sat up from his position splayed across the dashboard of the shuttle, the strap of the seat hold tightly across his waist. Looking down at his chest, he felt relieved at the fact that his white tunic was not covered in blood, but he instantly regretted the deep sigh of relief he gave. Bringing his right hand to his side as he moved to unclip himself from his seat, he closed his eyes and probed at his body with the Force. Feeling no broken bones near the pain, he dove further and let out a much softer sigh of relief as he saw the pain was only that of a deep bruise more than likely caused by his collision with the control board. Opening his eyes, he released the clasp of his seatbelt and stood slowly, his eyes scanning the cockpit for signs of the others. Seeing Plo Koon helping R2D2 up from the ground with a hand to his ribs, he took a step towards him to help him when suddenly he heard the shuttle doors being opened. Reaching down for his lightsaber, he pulled it free from his belt and glanced over at Anakin's seat, seeing it regretfully empty of his padawan. Stealing a glance towards Plo Koon and R2D2, he ignited his lightsaber and stepped quickly yet quietly through the shuttle, making sure to duck beneath sparking wires that hung from the battered passenger compartment.

Moving to the open door at the end of the room, Obi-Wan stepped into the door frame and shook his head, watching Anakin move around the sand to gather the charred remains of the ship. Turning off his lightsaber, he put it back on his belt with a wince, the twisting movement causing the pain in his side to flare up. Kneeling down and placing his forearm against the door, Obi-Wan watched Anakin moving around to grab the remains before glancing over his shoulder as he felt Plo Koon's presence nearing him. Turning to the other Jedi Master, he gestured out to the fire-baked sand and the fragments of metal before speaking, "It was the best landing we could hope for, but our ship has paid the price of our survival in full. I don't know if we can get up at all, or if it would even be functional for spaceflight."

Walking up beside Obi-Wan, Plo Koon looked around at the wreckage and nodded slowly before speaking, "You may be speaking the truth, but you cannot lose hope. Despite the fact that this planet was not our planned destination, I feel positive that the Force has led us here for a reason. During our descent, I felt a disturbance in the Force, and I feel it may help us to understand why we are here if we go and check it out." Looking down at the younger Jedi, Plo Koon chuckled softly before squatting with a hand pressed against his side, "It might serve you and your frustration well to also make a quick recon of the surrounding area." Stepping down from the ship, Plo Koon glanced towards the oasis he thought he had seen. Sighing softly, he shook his head as he realized there was no water there, the one lifeline he hoped they'd have depending on how long the ship took to get fixed. Looking up at the baking sun, he brought a hand up to first cover the sun and then to measure the amount of time that was left before the sun went down. Counting four and a half handbreadths, he knew better than to guess that one hand counted for a standard hour. Instead, he started counting the seconds in the back of his head, planning on checking when the sun was only four handbreadths from the horizon.

Watching Plo Koon document the possible amount of time before setting off towards where he had felt the disturbance in the Force, Obi-Wan stood up and stepped down from the ship with a hand gripping the door frame to keep him from jarring the pain in his side with the force of a jump. Stepping away from the ship, he straightened up to hide the pain in his side before going over to Anakin and speaking, "Once you have all of that inside the ship, we are going to do a quick reconnaissance to see just where you crashed us at, Anakin." Seeing the boy's shoulders slump and feeling a growing frustration in him, he shook his head and placed his hands on his hips while he waited for the boy's argument.

Standing up with several pieces of the engine looped over his arms, Anakin turned quickly towards Obi-Wan and lowered his arms, dropping the broken metal in a pile in front of his master. Tilting his head to the side, Anakin pointed at the pile of metal and then at the shuttle before speaking, "But Master, I already told you, I didn't crash the ship. If you'll ask Master Plo, he'll tell you no different. The ship just malfunctioned. And besides, didn't you tell him I was going to fix the ship?" Squatting down and picking up one of the pipes he had dropped, he held it up in front of him before speaking, "Master, if you take me on a recon mission, I won't be able to fix it, but if you leave me here with R2, we can have it fixed by the time you get back."

Chuckling at the boy's boast, Obi-Wan grabbed the pipe from his hand and pointed it at Anakin's chest before speaking in a firm voice, "You are going to come with me to do a recon, end of discussion. I know you won't stay here and fix the ship like you said. Besides, with this lightsaber on your belt, you are going to try to be some kind of hero and go off on your own scouting mission." Seeing Anakin's face drop into a frown, Obi-Wan sighed and brought his free hand up to cover his face before speaking, "Just give me your lightsaber and you can stay here to fix the ship."

Looking down at the lightsaber on his belt, Anakin grinned before taking the pipe from Kenobi's hand and speaking, "But Master, if you take my lightsaber, won't I be defenseless and an easy target to whoever may live here?" Seeing his Master cover his face again before sighing, Anakin backed away with a grin before speaking quickly, "I swear I won't do anything stupid and I'll have the ship fixed before you get back. Come on R2!" Turning away from Obi-Wan, Anakin ran quickly to the entrance of the ship, climbing into it and waiting for R2 to fly himself in with his jets on the sides of his legs. Smiling at the droid, he ran to get his toolbox he had packed in his room while shouting to R2, "Ok buddy, I need you to run a diagnostic on the ship. I need to know what is really broken and what we can put off for once we are airborne again."

Hearing his padawan and the astromech going to work on the ship, Obi-Wan turned around and threw his arms up, looking into the sky as his memories of Qui-Gon asking him to train the boy came flooding back to him. Remembering also the council's insistence that the boy be given a lightsaber, Obi-Wan rolled his eyes before muttering to himself, "One moment they think he is far too old to be trained because Qui-Gon wanted to, but now, after only a few years, it is time to let him create a lightsaber." Shaking his head, he breathed in slowly to calm himself before setting out in the direction opposite where Master Plo had went. Meaning to keep the ship within sight to know if Anakin was doing anything too foolish, he allowed himself to reach out with the Force to bring his mind to ease and to try to do a semi-meditation to reprimand himself for letting his emotions grow too quickly. It was when he had allowed the meditative feelings to cover his mind and guide him forward that he too felt a disturbance in the Force. All around him, the Living Force was flowing through everything, but with every step he took, it seemed that more and more places that were once inhabited by the Force suddenly became void of it. Hearing a rustling of brush to his left, he turned slowly and reached out with the Force, immediately shrinking back as he felt nothing where he very clearly saw a young child with russet, reddish-brown skin and a spear in his hand. Reaching out with the Force yet again reaffirmed his first thought: that this child was completely devoid of the Force and was yet still alive, breathing, and looking at him with cold eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Moving slowly over the sand and the small rocks that riddled it, Plo Koon felt a disturbance run through the Force again and instinctively drew his robes in tighter around him despite the oppressive heat coming from the sun and reflecting off the sand. Looking up towards the sun, he brought his hand up and measured the distance to be exactly four handbreadths like he had planned before. Nodding slowly and multiplying the time in his mind by two, he made note that one handbreadth equated to about forty standard minutes, meaning that he had a safe two standard hours before he needed to head back to the ship for the night. Planning on using it wisely, he looked around himself for a section of raised ground that he could use as a vantage point. Seeing a small hill off to his right, he stole a glance back towards the ship before setting off in that direction. Looking around him as he walked towards the hill, he saw more clusters of trees in the distance, but upon closer inspection, he saw now that the trees were all dead no matter where he looked. Shaking his head, he reached for his lightsaber but felt that it was best for him to keep it hidden.

As he got closer to the hill, he glanced back towards where the ship had been and felt a cold pit fill his gut as he saw the ship was nowhere to be seen. Glancing up to the sun, he measured the remaining time with his hand and shook his head as he muttered, "It has only been twenty minutes, I know I did not walk that quickly." Stopping to look back where he had come, he decided it was best if he went to the hill and just tried to spot the ship rather than risk wandering off in the wrong direction. Turning back to the hill, he walked quicker this time, his eyes studying the base to check for an easy route to the top. Seeing large boulders surrounding the bottom of the hill, he moved closer to one that had been rolled away but stopped when he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Turning around, he watched a hand disappear behind a boulder and then a rustling off to his right. Looking to a boulder with a tumbleweed on its top, he looked into it and decided to test the surrounding area. Reaching out with his mind through the Force, he targeted the areas he had heard the disturbances. Stepping back as his mind brushed against places that were void of the Force, he narrowed his eyes and stared into them. He had heard rumors of places that were tears in the very Living Force, but he had never heard of a living organism being void of the Force.

It was then that he felt a rush of panic coming from Obi-Wan through the Force as he suddenly unleashed a powerful spurt of energy into a Force run. Knowing Kenobi not to be one to act out of rash decisions, he judged that if he felt it was time to go, Plo Koon could not find a good reason to disagree. Turning around quickly just as a spear came hurtling out of a bush to the side, Plo Koon kicked the blade and sent it into the ground to the side. Sprinting away from the cluster of rocks in the direction of Kenobi's presence, he glanced over his shoulder and watched as a group of ten children that looked to be eight burst out from behind the boulders in pursuit after him. Watching as they picked up speed and began gaining on him, he pushed with the Force and propelled himself forward into a Force run as well. Tearing away from the group of kids chasing him, he soon saw the ship's form on the horizon and altered his course enough to be aimed just a little past the front of the ship.

While the Jedi Masters had been out scouting the area, Anakin had been working diligently on repairing the ship, running through R2D2's diagnostic and deciding which functions absolutely had to be fixed. Starting with the thrusters, he had repaired them as best he could, having to rely on his knowledge of how they and their attachments were supposed to look. Not being able to turn the shuttle on and power up the modules he was working on to see if they were improved slowed down his speed drastically, but with R2D2 able to run a diagnostic after every repair, Anakin made slow and steady progress. It was only when he was on top of the engine block, working with an arm inside of the engine and his other hand holding the tools he needed for the job, that things started getting hairy. It started first with a hair-raising chill running across Anakin's spine despite the heat of the hot metal and the sun. Pulling himself up and out of the engine, he slid down the side of the shuttle and dusted his hands off despite the thick layers of grease that now covered his hands, tunic, and part of his face. Hearing R2 whistled worriedly, Anakin laughed softly before going over to him and wiping two streaks of grease onto the astromech's dome before speaking, "Don't worry R2, Master Obi-Wan won't say anything about my clothes as long as the engine is running when he gets back. Now, stop worrying and just go check the diagnostic."

Hearing more worried whistles followed by some annoyed beeps, Anakin shook his head before stepping back with his fists pressed against his hips approvingly. Hearing happy whirs coming from inside the cockpit of the ship, he gathered his tools and climbed back in before running over to R2. Looking at the list of modules the droid projected, Anakin made a scrolling motion to direct R2 to slowly slide the list up, showing the young padawan all of the modules they had fixed and those that still required repair. Sitting down in front of the astromech, Anakin laid back and put his left forearm under his head before speaking, "You know buddy, I really think we deserve a nap. What about you? We have fixed the thrusters, the engine, the flight controls, and the shields. We can't really give them a test run, but that's not our fault." Hearing the droid mix a few whirs and whistles, Anakin sat up quickly and looked at him with his head to the side and his eyes narrowed, "I don't know why you're so worried about us being attacked. Masters Kenobi and Plo are outside. They won't let anything happen to us."

After several loud beeps and R2 running into his foot, Anakin brought his feet up and under him quickly before leaning forward and looking into the droid's main optical sensor. Screwing his face into a frown, he pushed himself up and off the ground before sighing and muttering, "Fine, give it a try to shut it and I'll fix whatever isn't working." Taking his tools back to the toolbox, he selected three and hooked them through his belt before going to the entrance of the ship. Looking over at R2, he put a hand up signaling it to go on and give it a try. Watching the door shimmy a few times before slamming shut, Anakin stepped back quickly with the wind rustling his hair and tunic. Looking over at R2 with a grin, he went to comment about fixing that later, but a loud thud against the door cut him off after merely saying the droid's name. Looking to the door which took two more loud thuds and a smaller one afterwards, Anakin called out in a soft voice, "Master Kenobi is that you? Master Plo?"

Waiting for his voice to stop echoing inside the ship, he soon heard several loud, high-pitched shrieks. A few of them started getting louder when suddenly there was a deep and thunderous bellow that silenced all of the sounds. Following a few seconds after the bellow came several softer grunts that all sounded similar. It was clearly a voice of authority, for the others did not dare make a sound, but it was not the same as the bellow. Looking around the ship, Anakin stepped back and into the cockpit, shutting the door between it and the passenger compartment. Climbing into the pilot's seat, he saw two quickly moving forms coming towards him, two forms which he quickly recognized to be the two Jedi Masters.

Sprinting along the sand with the Force carrying his feet further and keeping his legs energized, Obi-Wan looked to the side as Plo Koon quickly came up beside him and matched his speed. Knowing not to speak for it could possibly slow them down and leave them at the mercy of the things following close behind them, Obi-Wan had to trust that Plo Koon had seen something like he had himself and was coming back to discuss their next plan of action. It was only when they were closing in on the ship and coming around to the main door that he slowed down, for surrounding the door of the ship were several more of the children. Stopping 200 meters back from the crash site, he looked over to where Plo Koon had just stopped beside him. Looking back at the wreckage, he shook his head before speaking, "I knew I shouldn't have left him there alone. I hope he is okay."

Plo Koon looked over at his friend and nodded slowly before speaking, "I am sure he is. There is a reason they are not yet inside the ship." Studying the ship after speaking, Plo Koon looked around the crash when suddenly a new movement caught his attention. Pointing at the cockpit, he shook Obi-Wan's shoulder before speaking, "There, your padawan is still alive, but he is stuck inside of the cockpit. Perhaps he could let us in through one of the side doors." Looking to Obi-wan and then behind them where the two group of children were now closing in on him, he took off at a sprint again, trusting that Obi-Wan would follow. Giving the ship a wide berth and sacrificing some speed to keep from kicking up a trail of sand, he came around on the opposite side of the ship from the children. Leaping up and onto the windshield of the cockpit, he crouched low and place a single finger over his respirator before motioning towards the door into the cockpit from the outside. Sliding down from the side of the cockpit, he waited for the door to open and leapt inside, quickly making room for Obi-Wan to follow.

Obi-Wan jumped right in after Plo Koon and turned to shut the door when suddenly a spear was thrown in a straight line towards him with more speed and power than a Wookie could put behind it. Slamming the door shut, it caught the spear's handle just in time to stop the blade a few millimeters before it would have went through Obi-Wan's heart. Stepping back quickly, he pushed the spear back through the gap before slamming the door shut and locking it, only for it to be riddled with four sharp cracks as spears were thrown against it just as he shut it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Stepping towards the door, Obi-Wan ran his fingers over the small dents that protruded from where the spears had collided with the doors. Reaching with the Force with his hand placed against the bumps in the steel, he withdrew quickly as he felt how little of the steel was left after the spear had flown into it. Looking to Plo Koon with a grim expression, he shook his head slowly before tilting his head towards the passenger compartment. Watching Plo Koon walk in there, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin and spoke softly, "Anakin, I need you to get a call through to the Jedi Temple." Turning away before any excuses could be thrown towards him, he walked into the other compartment and spoke in a small whisper he knew only Plo Koon could pick up, "I hope you can understand why I wish for this privacy, but I do not think the bulkhead of our ship can stand up to their spears for much longer without our shields active."

Listening to the younger Jedi's words, Plo Koon glanced around the passenger compartment and spoke softly, "I know Master Jinn instructed you on what to do in situations such as these." Chuckling softly as he saw Obi-Wan rack his mind for the words of his old master, Plo Koon placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and spoke, "Help me barricade the entrances, then we can contact the Temple." Seeing Obi-Wan nod slowly, he looked around and reached out his hands towards several of the chairs that passengers could sit on. Grabbing hold of the chairs with the Force, he pulled them loose from their places in the floor and piled them in front of the door they had entered the ship through. Turning to R2D2 as Obi-Wan moved several boxes of freight in front of the main doors, he knelt down in front of the droid and spoke with a hand laid on top of his dome, "I need you to weld the cockpit door shut and then weld those chairs into place in front of it."

Setting the two boxes of supplies for their mission to Nar Shaddaa down in front of the door, Obi-Wan turned to Plo Koon and watched him stand up before speaking, "The door opens out and those boxes are particularly heavy, it should hold them back if they try to get in." After he spoke, he waited for Plo Koon's response when all of a sudden the shrieking they had heard before started up again. Running into the cockpit with Plo Koon following closely behind him, he walked up beside Anakin and looked through the windshield as a child of a smaller stature than the others stood in front of them and let loose with his shrieks. It was not difficult to realize that he was a lower member of the group challenging the ruling of whatever leader they had, for there were no other sounds and none of them were really looking at them.

Moving up beside Obi-Wan, Plo Koon watched through the windshield for a few seconds before turning to Anakin and speaking, "If the signal is any stronger, call the Temple." Moving over to the other side of Obi-Wan, he pressed a hand lightly to his arm to signal him to take a step over so that Plo Koon could stand in front of the holocom. Watching the blue image projected from the communicator solidify into Mace Windu's shape, Plo Koon gave him a quick bow before speaking, "Master Windu, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about us." Hearing Mace chuckle before responding in the contrary, Plo Koon put a hand up and spoke quickly, "I apologize for interrupting you Master Windu, but we are in need of a rescue and the services of a protocol droid if there is one near you."

Nodding slowly, Mace spoke quickly in response to Plo Koon, "I understand, Master Plo. I take no offense and cannot say I would be any more patient than you if I were in your shoes. Send me your coordinates and I will personally lead the rescue mission." Stepping back while Plo Koon entered their coordinates, he looked around before putting up a hand to get Master Unduli's attention. Motioning over, he spoke quickly in a hushed voice, "Get a protocol droid in here and help Master Plo and Kenobi, please. I'm going to go with a team to get them off that planet." Stepping back into view of the holocom, Windu gave them a quick bow before speaking, "Master Unduli will be helping you as best as she can. She has a protocol droid coming to help you translate what they are saying."

Waiting for Mace to step out of the field of view of the holocom, Luminara stepped forward and spoke while a protocol droid moved up beside here, "Master Unduli here, with a translater droid named PD471 with me. Master Plo, what is your situation? Are any of you hurt?"

Watching Luminara come into view, Plo Koon gave her a quick bow before speaking, "None of us are hurt, but we have been under attack since we made contact. They have finally stopped but there seems to be a sort of argument occurring and we need to know what is being said so that we can prepare for whatever they are planning to throw at us next." With that said, he turned to the droid that moved into view and turned up the audio input of the holocom so the sounds of the arguing children could be heard.

Stepping forward to better hear the sounds of the natives, the PD471 stood still for a second with its head tilted to the side before speaking, "This is a very uncommon language, but I do have a limited vocabulary in my databanks. As I hear more, it will naturally grow larger."

Shaking his head slightly before stepping into view beside Plo Koon, Obi-Wan gave Luminara a bow before leaning forward towards the droid and speaking, "PD471, I know you do not have much of a vocabulary, but what can you tell us? They have been bickering like this for a few minutes, and this one has been screeching with a few retorts from the others. There are a few of them growing restless, so we need to know the extent of this conversation before something happens." Looking to Plo Koon as he reached for the holocom, Obi-wan turned the communicator around and held it up so that Luminara and PD471 could see the happenings outside of the ship.

PD471 reached up to its own audio inputs and stepped forward before speaking slowly and just after the children, "It seems the one who has been speaking out during this whole time is a lesser member and is questioning what the leaders have decided." Seeing the two Jedi Masters on the holocom bring their hands up to cover their mouths in annoyance, PD471 spoke quickly to prove its worth, "The leaders see your presence there as a threat and a movement against them on what is their territory. The speaker believes they should just let you be since you have done nothing to harm them. The little mutterings you hear are other members of the group speaking amongst themselves over how foolish the outspoken one is." PD471 paused and winced backwards as two males, one of them being the one that Obi-Wan had seen and another being one with a long, thick braid of hair down his own russet back, stepped forward and bellowed out to silence the rebel. After their combined bellows had stopped echoing and the lone boy had dropped to his knees, a girl who had the same russet, reddish-brown skin of all the children stepped forward and pointed her spear at the naysayer's chest before calling out in a pattern of softer, yet still authoritative grunts and shrieks.

Stepping back in fear, PD471 put up its hands before speaking, "I do not think I have the clearance to be here, perhaps I should go help in the library." Turning around, the droid could only take one step before Luminara grabbed it by one of its arms and spun it around and pushed it towards the holocom. Looking back to the projector, PD471 spoke quickly to catch up with the shrieks that had occurred during its attempt to get away, "The first male called for silence from the others and the one with the braid shouted for the troublemaker to get on his knees. The girl asked if he was challenging her decisions, to which he responded that he never would. She turned around and said, 'good,' but then he stood up and tried to gain favor for his plea amongst the others. Taking it as a challenge she told him to run." Stopping as the projection required no more translations, they all watched as the boy looked at her for a second with wide eyes before turning and running as quickly as he could to get away. The girl then turned slowly towards him and turned her spear around in her hand, taking a quick step with her left foot before throwing the spear with her right hand at such a speed that the Jedi could not follow it and had to guess where it would land.

Watching the boy run a few more steps before the spear drove into his back and stuck out a foot on the other side, Anakin looked up to Obi-Wan with fear in his eyes and spoke in a soft voice, "Master Kenobi, I'm scared." Looking down at Anakin with a new softness in his eyes, Obi-Wan stepped out of the holocom's view and knelt down to place his hands on the boy's shoulders. He knew he was afraid, for he was only two years older than those children were and he had not seen anything of this magnitude in their missions.

Looking up as the protocol droid translated the next set of shrieks as demands for food, Obi-Wan squeezed Anakin's shoulder and spoke softly as he watched a group of the children running at full speed towards the fallen boy, "I know you are, but you have to be brave, my padawan. I wish you didn't have to watch this, but you have to know what we are dealing with just as much as we do." Waiting for Anakin to stand up in his chair to see what all was happening outside, he turned to R2D2 and spoke quickly, "Keep this open for as long as you can, the Temple needs to see this so that our rescue can see what they are walking into." Looking back out the windshield, he watched as a girl and a boy arrived at the body, their attention moving instantly to the boy's head. Looking at it with a cocked head, Obi-Wan looked to the holocom and spoke quickly, "PD471, do all you can to translate what is being said at the body before you move on to the other conversations."

Hearing Obi-Wan's instructions, PD471 pantomimed taking a deep breath before translating the two children, "The girl says, 'Wolffe, you give me the other eye, you know I always eat the eyes.' The boy, who I assume is named Wolffe, then says, 'No Fox, you may get the eyes normally, but I want one this time. Besides, you ate my eye last time so this is payback.'" Stopping for a second, PD471 looked down and listened to a gasp from Luminara on his right before continuing, "I think the girl's name is Fox. She said, 'That doesn't even count Wolffe, besides I didn't eat your eye. That was…' I can't tell if the next word is five or a name that sounds like Fives, but apparently he ate this 'Wolffe's' eye. Fox said, 'That was Fives that ate your eye, but it was already popped out of your head. You had no use for it.' Wolffe said, 'I don't care who ate it last time, I want one now. Besides, I was the one who showed you that they taste better if you put them on a hot rock on the fire before you eat them.'" Taking a step back, PD471 looked around for a second before stepping forward again, "There are no more words, but the 'Wolffe' and 'Fox' decided to split the eyes between them because a new, nameless voice told them to hurry up and decide before someone named Thire comes over and takes them."

With the conversation translated, the Jedi looked out at the scene and watched as the girl who had thrown the spear came over to the body and shoved the boy and girl out of the way. She then grabbed the spear and held it at an angle so she could look at the boy's face. He began to bring his arms up slowly to act as a sort of defense now that he had no visual clue where the threat could be coming from. Seeing the boy's arms moving, Plo Koon stepped forward and shouted into the holocom, "PD471, focus in on them, your services are not yet expired."

Seeing the droid shake its head before vocalizing a soft sigh, PD471 stepped forward and tuned in on the conversation before speaking, "The speared boy is saying a few words over and over." Before the droid could translate the dying boy's words, the signal suddenly shut off as a large chunk of metal flew from the top of the ship and to the ground. Looking to the windshield, Plo Koon stepped back and reached for his lightsaber but held his hand back as he watched a girl with long wavy hair and a boy with short black hair slide down the windshield before jumping to the ground. Stepping forward again, he watched the boy pick up the sparking component of the ship before carrying it over to a small collection of wood and grasses the girl produced from a pouch made of animal hide. Watching them press the sparking end of the signal emitter to the grass, he crossed his arms and watched the grass burst into flames as the two shrieked out the same sound together.

While Plo Koon had been watching them make fire, Obi-Wan had brought a hand up to stroke his chin gently while watching the exchange between the leader and the doomed rebel. Watching him hold his hands up in front of his eyeless sockets, his stomach turned in disgust as the girl threw him to the ground before pressing her foot down on his back in order to wrench her spear out of his body. Hearing his cry of pain all the way from inside of the cockpit, he winced slightly before looking back up to see her roll him over and then call over two of the ones that had come with her. They both had the russet skin they all shared, but both of their hair was wavy unlike many in the group. Watching them pick the boy up with an arm in one hand and a leg in the other, they held him still despite his attempts to get free of their grip. Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan rubbed them before looking up to see the leader, whose name must have been Thire, position her spear between the boy's legs before shoving it up through his body where it came out of his collarbone to the right side of his head. Hearing him scream loudly, he lowered his head as they walked over to the fire, only looking up again when he heard a pained scream. Looking up in terror, he and the other two Jedi watched in horror as the still breathing boy was set atop two supports on either side of the fire to be roasted alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Despite how disgusting and revolting the scene was, Plo Koon insisted that the other two stand with him to watch and see how their potential enemy operated. It was already apparent that the girl who had killed the boy was the leader, but perhaps the two boys who bellowed before her were as well. Glancing to Obi-Wan who was standing dutifully by his side despite the slight tinge of green in his cheeks, he chuckled softly before speaking, "If you would like, you can sit with your padawan. I will tell you what I find." Seeing Obi-Wan look over at him before slipping away to calm Anakin, who had been sitting with his back against the dashboard and trying not to puke, Plo Koon moved his eyes back to the children. No one dared to touch the cooking boy, but as the girl who they had deduced was Thire walked away, the Fox and Wolffe from earlier moved up to the fire. Watching them closely, he watched Fox reach near the embers of the fire in order to pull out a flat rock she had put there when the rebellious boy was still screaming. Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched as the two of them both placed the eyeballs they had grabbed onto the rock before counting with their fingers. Watching them count to twenty on their fingers, he watched with a small sense of humor as they struggled to get the now swollen eyes off of the rock without bursting them or burning themselves.

Seeing them grin at each other, he turned away just as they popped the eyeballs in their mouths, a feeling of nausea threatening to overtake him. Forcing it down, he took this chance to place a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder before giving it a gentle squeeze as he spoke, "Do not fret, Anakin. I remember a time when I too turned green at a sight such as this. Reach into the Force and it shall calm your stomach and your heart." Feeling the boy's anger at the one named Thire, he made sure to add the last part for the possibility that they may have to speak with these children. Stepping back up to the windshield, he turned to both of them and spoke, "Get up here now, they are getting ready to eat and we need to see how their pecking order is established."

Anakin pushed himself up off the ground before grabbing the edge of his seat to pull himself up to his feet, dreading every second that came to pass as he squeezed between the two Jedi Masters and pulled himself up and onto the useless dashboard. Sitting on the flat top above where the buttons were, he instantly regretted it for it gave him a front seat view as Thire, the two bellowing boys, three more girls, and two more boys all moved forward and ripped a large portion off of the body. Looking over at his master with a grimace, he spoke softly as he swallowed down the vomit, "Those eight sure do get a lot of…food. They must be the leaders or something."

Hearing Anakin speaking, Obi-Wan took note of the eight that were the first to get their food before looking down at his padawan with a small smile, "That was very observant of you, I'm glad you are finally putting your Jedi training to good use." Seeing Anakin's sour mood going further down, he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before leaning down and whispering in a joking voice, "I am only messing with you, my very young padawan. I have put thought to it and I realize you are not to blame for putting us here, though you have been given an opportunity to get us off. Now, how much of the ship were you able to fix?"

Hearing his master's praise after he slumped his shoulders, Anakin sat up quickly and looked over at him with a beaming smile before speaking, "Well, as far as me and R2 were able to tell, we got the engine, thrusters, shields, and flight controls. We weren't able to test the repairs, but as far as his diagnostics show, the ship should be ready to fly." As if on cue, R2D2 rolled over at that moment and projected the list of broken modules. Looking at the list Anakin's smile turned into a slight frown as he spoke, "R2 says he can fix the rip in the fuselage once we are in flight, but now we have to add the communications array to the broken modules. I'm not sure if the hyperdrive is functional, it was in two pieces when these little guys arrived, but we don't need it to get to whatever rendezvous Master Windu sets up."

Obi-Wan nodded before speaking, "I am very impressed, but with the sun lowering on the horizon, I don't think we'll be able to take off until deeper into the night or at first light. With that said, you and R2 need to get to work on the environmental regulators to keep the heater on." Seeing Anakin chew his bottom lip and R2D2 whistle awkwardly, Obi-Wan looked up at Plo Koon before speaking, "I guess they are outside aren't they? Well, in that case, it seems myself and Master Plo will either have to buy you some time or we'll have a cold night."

Hearing Obi-Wan and Anakin discussing, Plo Koon watched as the others devoured what was left of the food after the leaders had gotten their fill. But even with the chaos of it all, there seemed to be a sort of order, perhaps an order of oldest to youngest. Looking over at Obi-Wan when he mentioned a distraction, he nodded slowly before speaking, "Yes, we could go out and try to work through diplomacy or draw them away from the ship while you are working. Or, we could stand guard over you while they eat, I doubt they'll be hungry again soon anyways."

Hearing Plo Koon speak, Anakin couldn't help but snort softly and earn a glare from Obi-Wan before speaking, "I don't mean to be rude Master Plo, but anything that lives in a desert and eats each other has no understanding of not being hungry. R2 and I can work as quietly as we can, but as soon as they finish eating their food, they will come looking for more." Anakin looked down after he finished, his mind going to memories of his life on Tatooine and the Tusken Raiders who would go around and eat anyone they could find or the other dangerous creatures that lived out in the Dune Sea. Shuddering softly in fear at his memories and the reality they found themselves in, he stood up and asked to go get a blanket from his room.

Nodding his head slowly to give Anakin permission to go to his room, Obi-Wan turned back to Plo Koon before looking out the windshield and speaking, "I'm sorry that he has been disrespectful, but I can feel this area eating at all of us. I can't help but wonder if it is a move of the Sith to bring us here." Hearing Plo Koon breathe out slowly, Obi-Wan turned around to him quickly before speaking in a hushed tone, "Master Plo, you cannot tell me that you still refuse to accept that the Sith have come back, can you? I know the others on the Jedi Council do not believe they are back, but you as Master Jinn's friend must believe otherwise."

Turning around to Obi-Wan as he finished speaking, Plo Koon sighed again before replying, "Kenobi, I will not take offense because I too feel this could be a move by the dark side. Your master was one of my good friends, but there is much tension on the Council and there is no time to bring up this subject again. I will put thought to it and bring it up in time, but you must promise me that you will not make more issues about it." Plo Koon watched Obi-Wan turn around and walk quickly to where Anakin was back in the ship, his face painted with regret that he had to say such things to his friend. If he allowed himself to think about it, he could very clearly see the likelihood that the Sith were truly back.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Plo Koon moved back to the windshield and watched as the last few children who had any food finished it off. Watching the boy with the long braid of hair down his back move to the remains in order to pick up one of the dead boy's femurs, Plo Koon looked over his shoulder and called out softly, "Kenobi, I think you need to be up here in the cockpit. They are gathering the dead boy's bones and holding them like weapons." Just as he said that, he could see the child whose name was Thire pick up the boy's skull before throwing it at the windshield. Seeing the bone plates of the skull shatter before spraying to the sides, Plo Koon stepped back slightly as he watched the brain matter splatter and stick like a thick paste to the glass.

Obi-Wan moved up beside Plo Koon and looked at the windshield with a disgusted look before waving his right hand in front of his chest to move the brain matter off the windshield. He looked away as his hand moved across, expecting to see the clod of material fly off of the glass. But, as his hand finished moving, a glob in his peripheral vision caught his attention, causing him to look up at the brain matter that had not budged a millimeter in the direction he had attempted to move it with the Force. Looking over to Plo Koon, he spoke softly, "Master Plo, could you give it a go to get that stuff off the windshield before Anakin comes out of his room. I couldn't seem to get it to move, but I think it is too disturbing for him to see."

Plo Koon nodded slowly as he heard Obi-Wan, tearing his attention away from the children as they armed themselves with bones and crude spears. Looking over to the glob of brain matter that resulted from Thire's action, he swept his hand across it while pushing the Force through his hand. Feeling the small Force push propel from his hand, he watched the sand and dust particles around the material shudder, but the brain matter itself never moved. Stepping back slowly, he tilted his head to the side before raising his hand again and giving it a more forceful push, causing all specks of dust and sand to fly off the windshield, but the brain matter still relented. Shaking his head, he grabbed the windshield wipers used during storms with the Force and worked them to wipe the brain matter off while he spoke, "Not only are they void of the Force, but it seems the Force does not work on them either."

Moving up behind the two masters, Anakin climbed up between them and raised an eyebrow at the windshield wiper before speaking, "Well, if we can't use the Force on them, what are we going to do? I don't want to be eaten or be a slave again master." He looked up to Obi-Wan with pleading eyes as he finished, his eyes searching the face of his master for any glimmer of hope. Seeing Obi-Wan look to the side before smirking, he sat with his legs folded up in front of him and waited with his best attempt of a reassuring smile on his face.

Obi-Wan looked between Plo Koon and Anakin before speaking, "We may not be able to use the Force, but we need to try some sort of diplomacy. We have barricaded the main entrances, but there are many ways that eight year olds could get onto our ship." At that point, he turned his eyes to the ten year old sitting patiently for further wisdom, a chuckle growing in his throat as he spoke again, "I'm going to help Anakin look for all the different ways that those children could get in. Master Plo, do you think you could fix the environmental controls or at least help R2D2 while he does it?"

Nodding slowly, Plo Koon brought his right hand up and rested it on the lower portion of his respirator before speaking, "I'm not the engineer that young Anakin is, but I do know that I could do good enough to get us through tonight. May the Force be with you both." Turning away with a quick bow, Plo Koon moved to one of the escape hatches at the back of the ship with R2D2 and gave the astromech a quick thumbs up before pushing the door open as quietly as he could, leaving enough room for the droid before jumping out and closing it silently. Hearing the children at the opposite end of the ship shrieking in what seemed like a chant to get ready to attack, he moved with R2 to the engine compartment of the ship and stared in confusion at all of the jerry-rigged repairs that Anakin had made.

Chuckling softly, he laid his hand atop R2D2's dome and spoke softly, "I am of no help to you here, but I will use the Force to silence you from the outside, so that the children cannot hear you." Seeing the astromech rock a couple of times before spinning its head, he chuckled softly before turning to face where the children were. Holding his arms out in front of him, he concentrated on the silence of the night around them, focusing it into an orb between his hands that had absolutely no sound. Stepping behind a piece of the ship that jutted out, he made sure they were both hidden from visual contact before spreading his hands and then raising them. Spreading his hands wide and then down in a hemisphere, he watched the orb in his hands spread before enveloping them in a clear shield that blocked all sound.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

While Plo Koon and R2D2 were outside repairing the environmental stabilizers, Obi-Wan had Anakin mirror his seated pose on the floor of the passenger compartment. Speaking softly with his hands on his knees, he gave Anakin instructions, "Padawan, breathe in and out slowly through this exercise or our results may be incorrect. Now, you need to spread out your mind through the Force, much like I taught you to do when looking for the signatures of fellow Jedi around you. The only difference is that this time, I want you to imagine you're the Force signature of an eight year old." Obi-Wan could have very easily done this himself, but he knew that in a high-stress situation such as this, there was no better time to train Anakin. Breathing in and out slowly, he did as he told his padawan before speaking, "Nod your head when you have it."

Upon seeing Anakin slowly nod his head, Obi-Wan smiled slightly before continuing, "Now, with your signature in the shape of that of an eight year old, I want you to imagine it running around the ship looking for an exit. When your signature finds one, I want you to pull yourself back to your body and then show me. I will plug it then you will repeat the exercise." Standing up slowly, he saw Anakin screw his lips shut and lower his head as he concentrated, drawing a smile from Obi-Wan before he moved quickly and quietly to the cockpit. Seeing nothing outside, he stepped back quickly and turned to Anakin just as a loud beating sound came from the front of the ship. Turning around quickly, he called out Anakin's name to get his attention as he came face to face with three of the children staring at him through the windshield.

Standing on the nose of the ship with her two fellow leaders, Thire leaned in towards the windshield and growled deeply at the man looking out at her. Raising the femur she held in her hand, she pointed it at the chest of the man before looking beside her at the two boys. Pointing at the one with the long braid of hair down his back, she spoke quickly, "Bacara, take some of the others and circle around this thing. I don't see the orange one or the blue and silver one, so they must be outside somewhere." After Bacara gave a low grunt and slid off the front, she turned to the one that Obi-Wan had seen and spoke, "Faie, send a few back on top of this thing to see if there is any way inside of it." Seeing him nod quickly, she turned back towards the man before her and snarled her lip up at him before her eyes landed on the shiny rod on his hip.

Seeing the one named Thire staring in at him before seeing where her eyes were focused, Obi-Wan put his left hand out with the palm facing backwards and spoke quickly to his padawan, "Hide your lightsaber in your tunic this instant. No excuses Anakin, I have a very bad feeling about this. Also, call out to Master Plo and tell him I asked him to hide his lightsaber and come inside." Making sure to keep eye contact with Thire before him, he hoped that she would not react like some other species and take it like a challenge to charge him. Breathing in slowly, he took note of the other two listening to whatever she had shrieked at them before sliding off the ship to carry out her order. Moving his hands to his hips, he made sure not to look around when he suddenly heard the sounds of multiple feet clambering onto the ship from all around him.

Getting up from his seated position as slowly as he could, Anakin tried to make no sudden movements so as not to get the attention of Thire on the nose of the ship. Crouching down to a squat as soon as he got his feet under him, he walked swiftly to the escape hatch Plo Koon had gone through and pulled it open slowly. Feeling the door opening, he remembered his master's comment about the lightsaber on his belt, so he moved his hand quickly to his belt, unhooking the lightsaber and slipping the cool metal inside his tunic and against his skin. Peeking his head around the open door, he waved his hand to get Plo Koon's attention before speaking softly, "Master Plo, Master Kenobi asked you both to please come inside and hide your lightsaber." Stepping back quickly as he watched R2D2 steer away from the place he had been working on, he let the astromech pass him into the ship before speaking, "Did you get the repairs done little guy?"

Hearing R2's affirming whistle, Plo Koon smiled before collapsing the orb he had been suspending and moving his hand down to his lightsaber to pull it off his belt. Hearing one of the children moving around the corner of the ship, he shoved the lightsaber into the front of his tunic and jumped into the ship behind Anakin, turning to shut the door when suddenly he saw a hand coming between the door and the doorframe. Hesitating for a second, he moved his foot forward and kicked the child's wrist, causing them to retract their hand so that he could slam the door shut. Putting his shoulder against it, he turned the lock before facing Anakin and speaking, "Are you alright?"

Nodding slowly, Anakin shook his head to clear his mind of the image of the grasping head before turning back to Obi-Wan. Watching the girl narrow her eyes before sliding off the nose of the ship, Anakin ran over to his master and pulled on the side of his tunic before speaking, "Master Kenobi, the environmental stabilizer is back on line and R2 says that if we could just get out of this atmosphere, the ship should be able to make it to whatever rendezvous the Jedi council sets up." Stepping back and looking around as he heard footsteps beginning to echo around them, he tilted his head before speaking softly, "I think they are trying to get into the ventilation shafts."

Faie walked around the top of the ship with his spear in his hand, lightly tapping the metal beneath his feet as he looked for any openings. They had found a few, but they could fit no more than an arm into it before they got stuck. Seeing Bacara coming around the back of the ship, he walked over to the edge and knelt down to look at Bacara before calling out, "I guess they went inside before you could get there?" Seeing Bacara glare up at him as he held his wrist against his chest, Faie smirked before pushing himself up to his feet again. Feeling the metal under his right hand give slightly, he turned his head around quickly and watched the bent metal slowly pop back up into place. Grinning at his new discovery, he moved onto his knees and looked around at the others on the top of the ship before calling them over.

Looking at the boy with straight black hair, he grinned before speaking, "Levet, help me get this thing open, maybe it will be a way for us to get in so that Thire can calm down." Hearing the snicker from the other two, he pressed his fist against the middle of the sheet of metal before pulling it back and then slamming it back down. Seeing the metal curve down to give a place for him and Levet to put their fingers in, he gripped it and pulled it up quickly, baring his teeth as he heard the metal groan before ripping free. Tossing the piece to one side, he turned to look at a girl with straight black hair and a boy with a long braid of hair like Bacara before speaking, "Tyto, let Neyo go in before you then follow in behind him. We'll be coming in behind you with some more, but first I need you to try to get a bigger opening."

Hearing Faie speak, Neyo grabbed the femur he had brought with him and moved closer to the opening in the top of the ship. Squeezing the femur between his thighs, he grabbed both sides of the opening and lowered himself down until his feet pressed against the cool metal of the ventilation shaft. Squatting down, he grabbed the femur with his right hand and looked up to the others, giving them a nod before moving slowly through the shaft. Seeing a turn up ahead of him, he stopped before he got to it and looked back over his shoulder. Seeing Tyto lowering herself in with a stone head axe, he moved around the corner and groaned as he came face to face with a fan that closed off the shaft ahead of him. Turning back, he put his hand up to stop Tyto and now Levet who had come down behind his sister before speaking softly, "There is something in the way. Look that way to see if there is another way in or if I have to tear this down."

Hearing voices in the ventilation shaft above his head, Obi-Wan looked up before moving quickly to the closest opening. Looking to Anakin, he motioned him over before speaking, "I am going to raise you up, and I want you to count how many are coming in through there." Seeing the boy's eyes go wide, he knelt down and placed his hands on his shoulders before speaking, "You need to be strong Anakin. I won't let them hurt you, but first I need to know how many are coming through that shaft." Seeing him breathe in slowly to steady himself, he stood back up and raised the boy with the Force until his eyes were just above the lip of the shaft. Waiting a second, he lowered the boy back down quickly before waiting for the boy's report.

Shaking his shoulder to clear himself of any jitters, Anakin looked up at the two masters before speaking, "I only counted three through the fan, but it looks like they are going towards another entrance that doesn't have a fan." Moving quickly, he turned around and pointed at the exit that the children seemed to be moving towards. As he pointed, they could see small movements in the metal shaft moving towards it before suddenly the covering fell quickly to the ground with Levet following closely behind it. Stepping back behind Obi-Wan, Anakin looked around his master before speaking, "What are we going to do now?"

Tyto and Neyo followed quickly behind Levet, standing and watching the three offworlders for a second. Levet and Tyto moved towards the entrance that had been closed on them, feeling comfortable turning their back on Neyo and the others. Moving to each side of a large box in front of the door, they grabbed hold of it and picked it up slightly before carrying it over and out of the way. Proceeding to move the boxes as Faie, another boy with short black hair, and Thire dropped in, Levet and Tyto moved as quickly as they could to get the rest of the boxes out of the way so that the others could join them inside.

Seeing the two children moving the boxes from in front of the door, Obi-Wan shook his head slowly before looking to Thire and the boy from the meeting with her and another boy. Looking at the four children before him, he tilted his head to the side before speaking softly, "R2, can you please run a scan on the area around us? I really do not want to be snuck up on by anything else." Looking back to the children as they lunged towards him with weapons raised, he lowered his hands in a show of peace before speaking, "I'm assuming you don't know Basic, correct?" Seeing a blank look on their faces, he shook his head before placing a hand to his chest and speaking, "Obi-Wan."

Tilting her head as she heard the man she had seen in the windshield speaking in some strange tongue, Thire stepped forwards before putting a hand to her chest and speaking softly in a confused tone, "Obi-Wan?" Seeing the man sigh before bringing a hand up to cover his face, she turned to the boy with the short black hair before speaking, "Appo, what do you think he is trying to say? This is my chest, not whatever…Obi-Wan is." Turning back to the man before Appo could speak, she stepped forward and put her hand to her chest again before speaking, "Thire. My name is Thire."

Nodding slowly as the girl seemed to catch on to what he was doing, he put his hand back to his own chest and spoke before pointing to her and speaking, "I am Obi-Wan, you are Thire." Seeing her nod before looking back to the others and talking slightly, any glimmer of hope he felt vanished when he saw the door he had hoped to seal shut open slowly as the two had been working over there forced it open. Reaching towards it with a sigh before bringing his hand back to his chin with a glare from Thire, he waved his hand to the side quickly in order to activate the door opener, causing it to slide the rest of the way open and away from the two children. Watching some of the children walking in through the opening, he turned his attention back to the four before him when suddenly R2D2 started whistling behind him.

Anakin turned around quickly to look at R2, his head cocked to the side as he spoke, "What is it buddy?" Hearing the astromech's quick and scared whistles and beeps, Anakin's face paled before he turned and grabbed Obi-Wan's sleeve. Pulling on it, he spoke quickly, "Master, there is a sandstorm coming, we have to shut that door or else we could die." Looking at the children coming up the ramp, he shook his head before speaking, "Masters, as Jedi we are supposed to be caring towards others in the galaxy. We can let them off the ship after the storm passes, but it would be cruel and we'd be sentencing them to their death if we sent them out there in it."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin as he spoke, his eyes closing slowly as he tried to keep from rolling them in annoyance. Turning to Plo Koon, he shrugged slightly and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly there was a commotion near the door. Looking that way, he watched the one with the braid from the meeting at the nose of the ship slam his spear into the side of one of the crates. Watching the crude spearhead drive through the four inch steel with no problem whatsoever, he stepped back slightly and reached down for his lightsaber out of instinct. Regretting it instantly as he saw Thire's eyes narrow, he wrapped his hand around it and chose to keep it inactivated until the situation went sour.

Grabbing the shaft of his spear with his offhand, Bacara pulled it back before turning towards Thire and the offworlders. Listening to the sounds of the others lifting the lid from the box, he glanced back towards two other males who had braids slightly shorter than his before speaking, "Di'ikut and Kom'rk, look through the box and see if there is anything we can eat, it is nearly nightfall and we need to be heading back towards the cave soon." Hearing affirming grunts from the brothers, Bacara strode slowly towards the others, passing Appo and Neyo to stop beside Faie and behind Thire. Looking over her shoulder at the shiny thing in the man's hand, he tightened his grip on the spear before pointing the spearhead towards the man. Seeing the three take a step back, he turned his face to look at the side of Thire's head before speaking, "Leader if we stay here for much longer, we won't be able to make it back to the cave before the animals come out."

Hearing Bacara speak, Thire nodded slowly before looking over her shoulder at Faie and speaking, "Get the others ready, we will be leaving in a few minutes." Seeing him nod before running outside with Neyo, she looked back to the offworlders and stepped forward slowly with her spear in her hand. Looking them over, she ignored the shiny object and decided to instead go to the smaller one that was nearly their size. Seeing him hide behind the blue shiny thing that had been whistling, she smirked before stepping forward and bringing her right foot around in a roundhouse kick towards the dome at the top. Her foot connected with more power than the Jedi had expected, sending R2D2 to the ground and skidding away a few feet before rolling to a stop.

Unlike the Jedi who stared in disbelief at the fact that an eight year old had just sent R2 to the ground, Thire rushed forward quickly and grabbed the boy by the collar of his tunic when suddenly Faie came back to the door. "Leader, we have to find shelter! There is a storm on the horizon, and if we do not hurry, we will not all make it through this alive," he shouted, his eyes moving over the scene playing out before him for a few seconds before he looked back outside. Hearing the news of the impending storm, Thire shoved the boy backwards and moved to Bacara and Appo. Pressing the spear against Appo, she gave them both a quick look to show them what to do before stepping up beside Faie. Looking out at the others, she shouted her orders quickly, "Put out the fire and get the wood inside this thing, it will be our shelter for the night. Make sure to close the door and cover your faces, it will be like before we had the cave." Stepping down as she saw them all go to work, she walked up to a male with a shaved head and one with a scar going across his right eye and nose before speaking to the brothers, "Rex and Cody, I need you to get inside where you can see the storm coming and then tell me how close it gets."

While Thire had been outside, Bacara and Appo had stepped closer to the offworlders and jabbed their spears at them like one would to herd cattle to move them away from the dashboard. Appo licked his lips and stepped closer to the small one, his eyes moving to the boy's arms before his eyes turned to the orange one who had stepped forward. Raising the point of his spear towards the man's stomach, he jabbed it forward to get him to step back. Stepping forward, Appo moved the point of his spear down to the ground and tapped it twice before waiting for the small one and the orange one to sit down. Moving to stand above them, Appo raised a lip in a snarl as he grabbed the orange one's wrist and raised it to his face. Breathing in through his nose, Appo stepped back quickly with a snort before speaking, "He smells bad, I don't think we could eat him." Waving his hand dismissively at the other man, he turned to find the blue thing that Thire had kicked.

Bacara chuckled softly at what Appo said before motioning his spear at the offworlder with the shiny object before speaking, "Sit." Seeing the other man cock his head, Bacara strode forward and pushed on the man's stomach, knocking him backwards slightly. Seeing the other man take a step forward again to steady his footing, Bacara shook his head before throwing the spear quicker than the blink of an eye. Watching the spear sail past the man and plant itself securely in the metal behind him, Bacara smirked as he saw a red line appear on the outside of the man's upper arm. Seeing blood begin to drip from the small cut, he walked up to the man and shoved him again with both hands. Seeing the man stumble backwards to the ground, he stepped forward and placed his left foot on the man's chest before grabbing the shaft of the spear and wrenching it from the wall, all the while glaring down at the man below him. Pulling the spear free from the wall, he pressed on the man's chest once again and glared at him before chuckling softly as he saw a glare glint across the man's eyes.

Obi-Wan glared up at the child above him, moving his lightsaber to his left hand as he pressed his right hand against the cut seeping blood into his tunic. Feeling his lip snarl slightly, he brought his right leg up and kicked the child's ankle to the side. Seeing the boy fall to the side, he pushed himself up and held the hilt of his lightsaber in both of his hands in time for the boy to scramble to his feet with his spear in his hand. Seeing Anakin's eyes widen, he extended his left hand towards him to tell him to stay still as he slowly began circling his back towards his friends. Watching the smile on the boy's face widen, he saw him lean forward to prepare for a charge and instantly ignited his lightsaber, holding it in his right hand with the blade down by his side.

Bacara stepped back half a step as he saw the bright blue beam spring forth from the man's hands and tilted his head to the side before bringing his spear down from a throwing hold. Wrapping his left hand further up the shaft, he sprinted towards the man, intent on forcing him into submission by any means necessary. Knowing that Appo, Di'ikut, Kom'rk, and others were behind him watching, he knew he had to beat this man or risk his position in the group. Bringing the spear butt around in a feint, he watched the man lower the beam down to intercept it and smiled as he spun in a low squat. Bringing the spear around, he flattened out the spear head at the last second, slapping the man in the back of the leg with it rather than slicing his hamstring. Seeing the man's leg give out, he swung the spear around to slam the flat of the spearhead against the man's face again when suddenly the man swung the beam around and hit the spear.

Seeing the spear in his hand split in half, he stopped for a second as he watched the beam follow through and hit his forearm. Seeing it bounce off his forearm with no pain at all, he looked up at the man, smirking at the look of disbelief on his face. Before the man could react, he dropped his spear and wrapped his right hand around the beam of the lightsaber and wrenched it out of the man's hand. Holding it by the blade for a few seconds, he looked down at the silver hilt and wrapped his hand around it before waving it around. Nodding slowly, he slid his thumb over it, hitting the emitter button on accident and turning the beam off. Looking at it for a few seconds, he glared at it before walking back over to the man and pointing it at him. Seeing him reach for it, he smirked and jerked it out of the man's reach, his thumb slipping over the button again. Seeing the beam spring to life again, he pressed the button twice more, affirming his suspicion before turning to the man again with the beam now pointed at his gut as he spoke, "Sit!"

Looking down at the child with his lightsaber pointed at his stomach, Obi-Wan nodded slowly as he realized what the boy was shrieking must have meant 'sit' in their language. Putting his hands out to the side, he ignored the throbbing pain in his arm and sat down slowly, mimicking Plo Koon and Anakin. Watching the boy turn the lightsaber off again before walking away, Obi-Wan laid his head back against the steel bulkhead, waiting for the comment he knew Anakin wished to say. Hearing no response about him losing his lightsaber and it being his life, he turned to the other two Jedi and spoke softly, "Master Plo, I think our situation just got much more complicated. Not only can we not use the Force on these children, but they are also immune to the effects of a lightsaber."

Watching Obi-Wan's head fall slightly, Plo Koon nodded slowly before speaking, "Do not fret, my friend. Although we cannot fight our way out of this, your combat skills are not the only reason I requested yours and your padawan's assistance with my mission." Leaning his head back against the wall, he placed a hand to his ribs before continuing, "On Nar Shaddaa, we were to meet a contact of mine and deal with some crimelords in the Industrial Sector. I knew that fighting would get us nowhere but dead, so I asked for your assistance due to your skills in diplomacy you learned under our late friend, Master Jinn." Looking over at the younger Jedi, he smiled slightly before turning to Anakin, "Call R2D2 over here and try not to draw too much attention. They have an interest in you, but if you stay as inconspicuous as you can, they should ignore you."

During Bacara and Obi-Wan's dispute, Rex and Cody had moved inside the ship, their eyes drifting around to find a vantage point. Finding the raised platform of the dashboard, Rex pointed at it before speaking in a soft voice, "Come brother, Thire told us to tell her how close the storm is, and we do not want to disappoint our leader." Moving carefully behind Bacara so as to not interrupt the fight, the boys ran over to the dashboard and stopped in front of it. Moving to a position to propel his brother up, Cody laced his fingers and held them as a stirrup for Rex before motioning for him to come over. Rex took a step back before sprinting forwards a few feet, pushing off the ground with his left foot before stepping into Cody's hands with his right foot. Straightening his leg as well as being pushed up by Cody's arms, he leapt onto the top of the dashboard and knelt down for a second. Watching the storm close in, he turned around to offer Cody his hand but his brother was not there to take it.

After Bacara had walked away with his trophy, Cody had turned away from Rex and went over to the man with the bleeding arm. Stopping a foot beyond the reach of the man's leg, Cody knelt down before speaking softly, "Are you okay?" Seeing the man look up with a flash of confusion and then anger across his face, he jumped to his feet and took a step back before placing a hand to his chest and speaking, "Cody." Seeing the man return the gesture and say his name, Cody smiled before waving slightly and speaking, "Hello Obi-Wan." Hearing the sounds of more of his group coming inside the ship, he nodded slightly and smiled again at the man before turning and heading back towards the dashboard. Reaching up, he took Rex's hand and pulled himself up in order to act like he had been up there the whole time.

Hearing his brother practicing the offworlder's name over and over again, Rex turned to Cody and smirked before speaking, "Don't get too excited, I heard Leader was going to kill them, she thinks they are here as a threat." Seeing the objection on his brother's face, he grabbed his shoulder and shook him before speaking in a forceful whisper, "Listen brother, you cannot argue with her about this. You saw what happened to the last guy, and I don't want to lose you." Seeing his brother shake his head, he held his shoulder in a vice grip and shook him again before speaking, "If you do this, I don't know if I can stand beside you." Feeling his brother jerk his shoulder out from under his hand with a mutter that he wouldn't, Rex shook his head slowly and looked outside to the storm coming closer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The sandstorm's face stood nearly 150 meters above the ground and spread out as far as the eye could see, blowing across the ground at a speed too quick for the best runners to outrun. A family of three equestrians were feeding from a coarse brush beneath a dead tree when the eldest male suddenly raised his head, looking around quickly with his ears spinning. Turning around slowly, he gave a short and desperate whinny before backing up and wheeling around. Hearing the warning call from their father, the two younger equestrians raised their heads and froze as they stared at the oncoming sand storm. The father had taken off as quickly as he could, but his children stood frozen in fear as the sand closed in, ripping their hides with the small pellets of sand.

The pain served as a waking call to them, but the younger male was too slow to turn tail and run. He only managed to get turned halfway around when the more dense sand slammed into him, tearing away chunks of his hide and the muscle beneath it. His calls of pain and terror were covered by the roar of the wind in the storm, his bones beginning to show beneath the ripped muscle. Stealing a glance back as his daughter caught up with him, the father watched the last bits of meat fly from his son's skeleton before the sand-bleached white bones shone brightly across the sand. Running up beside his wounded daughter, he urged her onwards as he ran past her, his eyes set on a black shape in the distance. Lowering his head, he laid on more speed, determined to get him and his daughter behind or inside it when there was a loud and sudden snap.

Looking back he saw his daughter's foot down in a hole in the ground, her lower leg snapped in half with the shards of bone sticking out of the flesh. Whinnying softly, he walked over to her and laid his head down on her back, his eyes watching the storm closing in. Waiting until the last second, he pressed his chin against her back before stepping back and wheeling around, galloping away as the terrified whinnies behind him were drowned out by the roaring of the storm. Pouring on as much speed as he could, he got closer and closer to the black spot but it proved to be too far away for his already taxed muscles. Feeling his strides growing shorter, he snorted in anger before coming to a quick stop and turned towards the storm. Lowering his head, he pawed at the ground a few times with his right hoof before stepping forward and into the storm.

Plo Koon lowered his head as he felt the loss of the father in the Force, his mind subconsciously clinging onto the small amount of the Force that he could register on this planet. Looking back to Thire and the two males who followed closely behind her, he brought his hand up to his chest and spoke, "Plo Koon." Bringing his hand away from his chest, he then gestured at the two boys, hoping to learn the names of the two who appeared to be Thire's lieutenants. The two boys looked at him with narrowed eyes before looking to Thire, waiting for her to nod before looking back to him. The boy with the long braid of hair stepped forward and put his hand against his chest before saying his name was Bacara, the other boy immediately followed suit and said his name was Faie. Nodding slowly, Plo Koon looked over to the windshield where the boy who had talked to Obi-Wan and another were looking out at the storm closing in. Breathing in slowly, he leaned his head back and watched as the one named Cody had turned around and screeched out a short sentence towards Thire.

Afraid that Thire, Bacara, and Faie were going to hurt the offworlders, Cody glanced towards the storm before turning quickly and calling out after Faie had said his name, "Leader, the storm is getting closer. It is a stone's throw for Bacara away. Faie's throw now." Turning back towards the storm, he continued giving quick updates as it got closer, going down the list of the 36 children that made up their group. Turning back to it a last time, he watched as it closed in 80 more meters before jumping down behind the ledge that he and Rex had been sitting on. Hearing his brother slide down beside him, he looked over with slight fear in his eyes before speaking, "I don't think we're going to survive this, Rex, the sand is going to blow through the opening we were looking through."

Looking over at Cody where he spoke, Rex nodded slowly before speaking grimly, "It's been a hell of a fight Cody, and I am glad you were my brother." Patting him on the shoulder, he looked under the ledge and cocked his head to the side before crawling beneath it. Seeing there was room for him to squeeze underneath it, he looked over his shoulder and whispered, "But I don't think we have to worry about that. Come under here with me." Leading his brother under, he pressed his back against the wall in front of the chairs and beneath the dashboard, bringing his legs up next and wrapping his arms around them. Lowering his head down, he pressed his face against his knees and squeezed his eyes and mouth shut, his hands coming next to cover his ears. With his nose pressed between his knees, there was barely enough room for air, so he knew he would get no sand in there. All around him, his brother and the others mimicked his position, a pose they had had to master over the past year since they had been kicked into this wasteland by their clans.

Looking around them as the children all abandoned their tasks and curled up into balls on the ground, Obi-Wan stood from his seated position slowly, his eyes casting around for Bacara and his lightsaber. Seeing the metal cylinder cast aside beside the boy in his attempt to hide his face, Obi-Wan stretched his hand out and used the Force to silently lift the weapon from the ground before bringing it over to his hand. Lowering his hand to his belt, he placed the hilt of the lightsaber back on the clasp on his belt, letting it swing down and dangle there. Looking over at the windshield as the sandstorm clashed with the ship, he smiled as not a single particle of sand rushed into the ship as these children were so obviously worried about. Looking down at Anakin and Plo Koon, he grinned before beckoning for them to rise to their feet as well.

Walking around the children quietly he stopped in the center and held up a hand to stop the others where they were. Kneeling down in front of Thire, he smirked slightly before tapping her on the top of the head. Seeing her shrink away, he tapped her again with a soft chuckle before seeing her face raise quickly to glare up at him. Seeing her eyes narrow before she lowered her head back down, he sighed before speaking, "Thire. I know you cannot understand me, but look around. There is no sand in here." Seeing her head perk up as he said her name, he grinned as he saw the look of surprise on her face that there was no evidence of the sandstorm in the ship. Seeing her surprise turn to anger as she called out to the others and moved to get up, he put out his hand and made a short, negative sound similar to that of a warning alarm, "Ahn."

Seeing her stop quickly and look up to him, he furrowed his eyebrows and glared down at her before putting his hand in his front left pocket and pulling out a small piece of fruit flavored candy. Seeing her step back, he shook his head and raised it up, holding it out between his thumb and forefinger before slipping it into his mouth. Chewing the watermelon flavored candy, Obi-Wan smiled and exaggerated soft sounds of satisfaction before pulling out a wrapped piece of fruit candy. Holding it out in front of Thire, he nodded and smiled as he watched her reach out slowly before attempting to snatch it from his hand. Pulling his hand back and mimicking the negative noise, he offered it to her again, happy to see that she took it from his hand with less aggression this time.

Thire looked at the square in her hand, her head tilting to the side before she looked around at the others surrounding her. Her eyes landed on a boy with a severely broken left ankle and straight black hair, causing her to chuckle as she walked over to him, brushing past anyone with her shoulder who was not quick or smart enough to move. Looking down at the bone sticking from the boy's ankle, she grinned maliciously before looking up at him and speaking, "Look at you Echo, your ankle has gotten worse sense I made you bait. I guess it is a good thing your brother is here to carry you along, or else we would have had to eat you wherever you fell down." Thire glanced over at Echo's brother, her grin widening as she saw the boy's almond eyes narrow even further than they naturally were. Turning back to Echo, she gestured down at his ankle before speaking, "If you want to prove that you are any use to this group without Fives helping you along, you will eat this to make sure it is not poisonous to us."

Taking the square from Thire's hand, Echo held tightly to the spear he had in his left hand, holding himself at his full height before lowering his foot down to the ground. Closing his eyes as he put his weight on his left ankle, he felt the bones grind against each other before sliding apart, his shin bones pressing against the ground as his foot rolled over onto its side. Breathing out slowly in pain, he blinked his eyes a few times before bringing the wrapped piece of candy to his mouth and taking a bite from it. Spitting out the bite, he shook his head before speaking, "It has no taste." Looking down at where he had bit into it, he stuck his tongue out and licked it slightly, his almond shaped eyes widening as he spoke quickly, "No, it tastes delicious, once you get through the skin." Looking down at it, he rubbed his thumb over it before peeling away the paper that covered it. He popped it into his mouth and began chewing, he eyes widening and a satisfied hum coming out of him.

Nodding slowly, Thire turned to Obi-Wan and walked over to him, her hand out in front of her with the palm up. Looking down at it, she pointed at his pocket and then at her mouth, trying to get him to give her more. Shaking his head as Thire pointed at him, Obi-Wan pulled a piece from his pocket and held it up out of her reach before giving a quick whistle. Getting all of their attention with a few looking at him in surprised anger, he nodded slowly before wiggling the candy and speaking, "Candy. This is candy. Candy." Hearing the girl named Fox muttering candy softly as best she could, he walked over to her and knelt before her, placing his hand to his chest as he spoke, "Obi-Wan."

Fox looked up at him, her head tilting to the side before she mirrored him and spoke, "Fox. Candy." Holding her hand out from her chest, she smiled as Obi-Wan put the candy in her hand before bringing it quickly to her mouth and moving to bite it. Hearing Obi-Wan's negative sound that he had done to Thire, she looked up at him and lowered the candy away from her mouth.

Taking another piece of candy from his pocket, Obi-Wan held it up to get their attention before bringing it back down to in front of his chest. Pinching a fold in the paper, he drew it up and showed it to the children while speaking, "Unwrap. You have to unwrap the candy. Unwrap." Seeing them nod slowly, he tore the wrapper the rest of the way off and held it up, speaking while making a disgusted face, "Wrapper." Tossing it over his shoulder, he held the candy up and put it into his mouth, chewing and smiling before speaking, "Candy." Looking up at Obi-Wan, Fox nodded slowly before pulling at the paper on her own piece, ripping it into several pieces rather than one neat one like he had. Smiling up at him, she dropped the wrapper and shoved the candy into her mouth, smiling as she began chewing it happily.

Looking over at Fox where she chewed on the piece of candy, Thire stood in front of Obi-Wan and jutted her hand out with the palm up before speaking, "Candy. Give me some candy." Understanding only the word candy in the sentence, Obi-Wan looked down at her and nodded slowly before fishing in his pocket for another piece of candy. Pulling out the last two, he nodded down at her before placing one of them in her palm, holding the other in his hand as he turned towards Plo Koon to speak, "Master Plo, I do hope you have more candy on this ship. This is my last piece." Turning back to the children, he suddenly felt a hand collide with his closed fist, knocking the piece of candy out and sending it to the ground. Looking down at where Bacara was bending over to grab the piece of candy he had knocked down, he brought his hand up and felt it gingerly, his knuckles bulging slightly to show his middle two fingers had been knocked out of place. Pressing his left hand over his damaged knuckles, he focused on peace and serenity, using his calming emotions to send the Force through his hand in order to heal the cartilage. Feeling his fingers sliding back into place, Obi-Wan turned to Plo Koon and shook his head before speaking, "We're going to have to change that behavior."


End file.
